Abu Dhabi International Airport has introduced the latest biometric systems at its new Terminal A that aim to offer passengers a faster and smoother journey to their gate.
Passengers can now get from the kerb outside the terminal to their gate in 12 minutes, thanks to advanced airport technologies and streamlined processes, said airport officials.
The self-service baggage drop-off kiosks take 30 seconds, clearing immigration procedures takes 10 seconds and flight boarding at the gate requires three seconds, Andrew Murphy, chief information officer at Abu Dhabi Airports, said during a media tour of the 742,000 square-metre terminal.
That compares with three immigration procedures that would take about a minute at the old terminal, he said.
“From a passenger experience perspective, passengers really enjoy the seamless nature of it. It allows you to get through the airport faster and then enjoy more time in retail or at the lounge and enjoy the whole experience,” Mr Murphy said.
Passengers worldwide are increasingly adopting the use of smart technologies to smooth choke-points along the airport journey, according to a September report by SITA, an IT provider for the air transport industry.
When asked about comfort levels with biometric identification throughout the airport journey, passengers scored an average of 7.36 out of 10 this year, up from 7.26 last year, reflecting rising demand for a smoother airport experience using technology, SITA said in its Passenger IT Insights report.
“When planning travel, cost is just one of the factors affecting travellers' willingness to book flights. Experience at the airport has become fundamental to passengers’ decision-making, and travellers are telling the industry loud and clear: the more they are subjected to clunky and inefficient processes, the more likely they are to consider other options,” David Lavorel, chief executive of SITA, said.
“Passengers are pointing to a clear way forward for the industry: now more than ever they recognise smart technologies as key to streamlining travel.”
Terminal A currently has five main biometric touchpoints. These include auto-enrolment, self-service check-in and bag drop, e-gates, immigration counters and aircraft boarding gates.
These will expand to nine touchpoints next year, extending to retail areas and airport lounges that passengers can opt into through a loyalty scheme, according to Mr Murphy. This would allow them to use their biometric profile for smoother experiences at duty-free shopping or when renting a car, for example, he said.
The expansion of biometric touchpoints around the terminal will also include adding more check-in desks as well as solutions for connecting flights.
There are currently 14 self-service bag-drop units that are mainly used by home carrier Etihad Airways. There are also 17 biometric boarding gates at the terminal.
More biometric counters for check-in and boarding will be available for passengers using other airlines at the terminal in 2024, he said.
Abu Dhabi Airports works with immigration authorities and other government entities to collect the necessary biometric data of passengers when they enter the country.
“We don't at any point take the data, we leave the data with them, but we use it for operational purposes for safety and security,” Mr Murphy said.
The auto-enrolment process applies to all UAE nationals, UAE residents and any traveller who has passed through any airport in the country over the last seven years, he said.
It will enable passengers to check-in online and use the self-serve desk at the terminal that will detect their biometrics through facial recognition.
At immigration, the system does all the necessary checks on visa and data verification.
“If all your paperwork is correct and in place, then you just simply pass straight through, there is no passport and no boarding passes,” Mr Murphy said.
“Your facial biometrics takes you through the whole journey.”
Abu Dhabi Airports worked with four technology companies to facilitate the biometrics services at the terminal, according to the executive.
Next50, an Abu Dhabi-based industrial AI company, was the systems integrator.
Aviation industry IT provider SITA was also part of the project.
Idemia provided the facial and iris recognition technologies, while Embross provided the self-service bag drop-off units.
The new terminal has a capacity to serve up to 45 million passengers a year and handle 11,000 passengers per hour.
The 28 airlines operating at the terminal together serve 117 destinations. The terminal can receive 79 aircraft at any one time.
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- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
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Ireland 125 all out
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Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
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UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
How to turn your property into a holiday home
- Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
- Research equivalent Airbnb homes in your location to ensure competitiveness.
- Post on all relevant platforms to reach the widest audience; whether you let personally or via an agency know your potential guest profile – aiming for the wrong demographic may leave your property empty.
- Factor in costs when working out if holiday letting is beneficial. The annual DCTM fee runs from Dh370 for a one-bedroom flat to Dh1,200. Tourism tax is Dh10-15 per bedroom, per night.
- Check your management company has a physical office, a valid DTCM licence and is licencing your property and paying tourism taxes. For transparency, regularly view your booking calendar.
Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
